Experts’ Forum (3/4)

Wendy Chan: Depending on the restaurant, I think more distinctive fusion stule cooking is found in entrees and appetizers. But I also see the growing popularity of Asian style “fast food”, such as the Vietnamese Roll Sandwich. Soon there will be a new restaurant opening in New York, by talented Korean-American chef David Chang ----called SSam Bar, which will serve something like a burrito, but it has rice and other things rolled up, including Kim Chee. I tasted that and I was blown away. Then there is chef Pichet Ong’s constant re-invention of old Asian sweet foods. I think this will stimulate renewed interest in some traditional desserts ----from Mango Pudding to Sesame Balls ----by both the next generation Asian Americans and the average American consumer. We really need this kind of effort to perpetuated Asian cuisine, not just in America. Jake Klein: I find appetizers, or small plates to have the most room for experimentation. Customers tend to be a little more conservative when it comes to their entrees. On the menu here at Pulse you find that the fusion is more in the composition of the menu. The dishes are almost snap shots of dishes I experienced my travels around Asia scene through my eyes. Why are Asian fusion cuisines attractive to American diners? Mr Michael Pardus: Americans have a natural curiosity and have been experimenting with international foods since the end of WWII. We seem to have embraced spicey food - to an extent - and as incomes rise and food becomes a form of entertainment and "theater" the trend setting people will be in constant search of "the next big thing". I addition, I think that the intensity of flavors form Sout Eastern Asia and Korea are appealing to US diners. Balancing Sweet, salty, spicey, tart, and umami in powerful ways catches American attention. Jake Klein: American diners like Asian food based on the fundamentals of most Asian cuisines. The ingredients need to be fresh (as they should be in any cuisine), they're perceived as being healthy, and fast. Wendy Chan: I personally think there are several reasons. First, most traditional Asian restaurants do not have a sophisticated look and feel or the more contemporary ambience which are the elements that strongly appeal to the general market diners. So many are still using “all you can eat” and low price, over tired red lanterns and fans as backdrop. For the traditional restaurants with great tasting food, often their menu is a challenge to “foreigners”. They tend to be either too “ethnic” for them to feel comfortable, because they primarily cater to their own communities who know their own culture and even language. Secondly, fusion is (supposedly) a harmonious blend of east and west, which in concept is far more interesting than just and another restaurant serving good chicken. Finally, fusion restaurants usually are owned or operated by people who understand marketing to begin with. They know how to appeal to the broader market ----from the décor to the food and the way their servers introduce their menu to the guests. The savvy consumers prefer quality over quantity, delicate tasting menu of interesting small plates over banquet style of endless dishes after dishes of piled food. Evidence of this is the fading of the buffet in Las Vegas, and the emergence of distinguished top chefs’ signature restaurants offering cuisines of all types. I think this is food progress. What’s essential in preventing fusion from confusion? Jake Klein: I avoid confusion in my food through restraint. There are some many different places to go in Asia one could spend a life time exploring. One would never try to experience all of Asia in one trip, nor should you try and put all of its flavors in one dish.